developing news tonight. damage control over the skyrocketing cost of life-saving medicine. a big pharma ceo on the hot seat refusing to cut the price. tonight a big star is cutting ties with the company. prejudice and paranoia. hillary clinton unloads in a blistering takedown of donald trump supports racists and trump making a major shift on immigration. suddenly embracing the jeb bush plan he once denounced. taking aim. florida in the crosshairs as a gathering storm closes in. al roker is here. aftershocks and a soaring toll in the quake zone. a desperate search in the rubble to find any signs of life. and burkini ban. controversy as women are forced to take off clothes, fined for wearing too much. a battle at the beach

erupts. "nightly news" begins right now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening. no apologies and no price cut offered today from the woman in the middle of a growing firestorm over the soaring cost of potentially life-saving epipens. up some 400% in recent years. the ceo of the company that makes them spoke out today on our sister network, cnbc, to defend a series of price hikes on the emergency injectors that millions with serious allergies keep at the ready. but with her own salary under fire, the company did offer consumers some relief today, but even that is being met with some skepticism. tonight nbc's tom costello has been following the story for us and has the latest. >> reporter: she may be the most unpopular ceo in america today on the cnbc hot seat. heather bresch runs

mylan pharmaceuticals which has raised the price for its life-saving epipen from $90 to $600 over ten years. meanwhile, her compensation has also skyrocketed. >> you're making $18 million a year. do you understand how that looks? >> look, i understand better than anyone that facts are inconvenient to headlines. >> reporter: after days of intense public backlash, the company today said it's offering more discounts and $300 coupons for some patients, but no price cut. >> just cancel the price increase. why can't you do that? >> reporter: i have to play -- the reality is in the brand pharmaceutical market this isn't an epipen issue, this isn't a mylan issue, this is a health care issue. >> reporter: bresh calls the health care system broken with too many middlemen demanding a cut. but some health care experts today said without a price cut, the company's coupons are just a pr move since the cost only shifts to insurance companies. >> what that does is that just ends up

increasing costs to the system which is then reflected in the high cost and increasing premiums and overall increase in health care spending. >> reporter: in north carolina, tracy bush has the receipts of skyrocketing epipen prices her insurance thankfully paid for her son, devin. >> plain and simply, if the price of the epipen was affordable to begin with, it wouldn't matter if someone had insurance or not. it would be affordable. >> reporter: meanwhile on instagram, actress sarah jessica parker who promoted epipens because her own son needs one cut ties with the company. >> given the firestorm around this, are the price hikes for mylan done? >> look, we are going to continue to run a business, and we're going to continue to meet the supply and demand of what's out there. >> reporter: bresch is the daughter of west virginia senator democrat joel manchin. today he issued a statement saying he is also concerned about skyrocketing drug prices and he wants to find ways to lower them and improve the system as well. lester? tom costello, thank you. to presidential politics now and a day of explosive rhetoric on the campaign trail.

hillary clinton unloading on donald trump in a blistering speech saying, quote, he is taking hate groups mainstream and helping the radical fringe take over the republican party. meantime, trump blasted clinton, calling her a bigot. trump also making headlines for a major shift on immigration. we have it all covered starting with nbc's andrea mitchell. andrea, it is getting heated. >> indeed it is. thank you, lester. after a week of playing defense hillary clinton arguing tonight that donald trump can soften his rhetoric and stick to a script but that he's helping a radical fringe advocating racist ideas. tonight hillary clinton going farther than ever before, painting donald trump as an extremist. >> dark, disturbing, sinister. from the start, donald trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia. >> reporter: going after trump point by point. his birther past. >> why doesn't he show his birth certificate? >> he promoted the racist lie that

president obama is not really an american citizen. >> reporter: his retweets of white supremacists or theories about clinton's health. >> his latest paranoid fever dream is about my health. and all i can say is, donald, dream on. >> reporter: and now clinton blasting trump for hiring steve bannon, head of breitbart, a conservative website linked to the new alternative right as campaign ceo. in her speech citing breitbart headlines. >> birth control makes women unattractive and crazy. a fringe element that has effectively taken over the republican party. >> reporter: trump firing back even before she started speaking. >> when democratic policies fail, they are left with only this one tired argument. you're racist. >> reporter: clinton's speech a welcome indictment say alt-right critics. >> it's a movement that's racist. it's a movement that's

anti-semitic, and it's a movement that's been gaining a foothold in the mainstream through the trump campaign and through breitbart news. >> reporter: the speech also a chance for clinton to turn the page after a week of attacks. charges of special access for clinton foundation donors when she was secretary of state. >> i know there's a lot of smoke and there's no fire. >> reporter: tonight clinton trying to make trump the target instead of her. andrea mitchell, nbc news, new york. i'm katy tur in new york where, 25 floors up, donald trump was working to convince voters he isn't a racist. >> people are hearing the message. >> reporter: his hardline immigration rhetoric proving unpopular, trump is polling his position with an audience at a fox news town hall. call it applause-o-meter politics. >> do we throw them out or do we work with them and try and do something? >> reporter: the result, trump's plan now sounds strikingly like someone else's. >> i called for a path to legal status, not a path to citizenship.

they work, they pay taxes. they pay a fine. >> they'll pay back taxes. they have to pay taxes. there's no amnesty as such. there's no amnesty. but we work with them. >> reporter: a stunning flip. trump now agreeing with jeb bush who he sharply criticized as weak on immigration. conservatives left with whiplash. >> can you imagine if you're jeb bush today? who knew? i'm sorry. >> reporter: jeb bush flabbergasted on wabc radio. >> all things that donald trump railed against he seems to be morphing into. it's kind of disturbing. >> reporter: but will it matter? >> there will be some short-term noise about it. but i don't see this blowing up in his face the way some are predicting. >> reporter: today clinton intensified her criticism as trump took his name calling to new extremes. >> hillary clinton is a bigot who sees people of color -- >> reporter: trump repeated that claim

again in an interview tonight. it seems that he feels that turning the tables will help turn the polls in his favor. lester in. >> from a political storm to the real thing, we're keeping an eye on one gathering and getting even closer to the u.s. a potential tropical threat for the southeast. al roker is tracking the storm. al, what's the latest? >> lester, this thing hasn't turned into a tropical system yet, but we do look to see this invest area 99-l. in the next two days a 40% chance of becoming a tropical system. 70% in the next five days. both the european and united states models track this thing through the bahamas tomorrow. by sunday both bring it across southern florida with an increasing threat for heavy rain. the european model intensifies it as it gets into this 90-degree water of the gulf, keeps it hugging the western coast of florida. but what we are looking at one way or the other, we know we'll be seeing a big, big rainmaker. anywhere from 5 to 7 inches, locally could

be even more. again, it hasn't formed yet, lester. we'll continue to have to watch this very closely. >> i know you'll update tomorrow on "today." al, thanks very much. the heart wrenching drama in central italy where the death toll has soared to 150 in the aftermath of that powerful earthquake. big aftershocks are jarring already fragile rubble and fragile nerves as rescuers refuse to abandon hope in their relentless dig for survivors. let's get the latest now from nbc's bill neely. >> reporter: still digging, still hoping for a miracle after 48 hours, but the ground is still shaking, too. we're still seeing an enormous aftershock here. one of more than 400. the dust still rising here. it sent rescuers running and ambulances scrambling. but still they dig, and here's why. after hearing a voice in the rubble, rescuers find a little girl and free her trapped legs.

come on, julia, they urge her, then pull her out. julia is bewildered but alive after 16 hours buried. clinging to her rescuer uninjured. musical girl, they shout. other children didn't make it. officers sift through their belongings. they knew them. this man saved the lives of two children, but heard others in the rubble he couldn't help. there's anger here, too. investigators now probing why this school collapsed in spite of a million dollars spent to make it earthquake proof. most of the apartment blocks in this neighborhood have simply crumbled. by law, they should have been built to withstand the earthquakes that are so common here, but someone didn't do that. amatrice was voted one of italy's most beautiful towns. some of its buildings

600 years old. now it's a ruin. most of it will have to be demolished, though some of these places are little more than dust already. and there have been more big aftershocks here in the last few hours. one rescuer told me they are not giving up hope of finding survivors in the rubble. they found one survivor in a previous earthquake after three days, and they are here in their thousands to try to do the same right here. lester? >> you have to admire their bravery. all right, thank you, bill neely. back home there's late word of a shocking murder mystery unfolding tonight in mississippi. two catholic nuns found dead in a home, victims of an apparent stabbing attack. now police are on the hunt for a suspect or suspects. nbc's gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: tonight investigators in durant, mississippi, are rushing to find out who killed two catholic nuns in their homes.

both nurse practitioners who help the poor. sister paula merrill from kentucky and sister margaret held from wisconsin seen here in a video from the local archdiocese. >> margaret and i have worked together for many years. we just see patients and do what needs to be done. >> reporter: an officer found them this morning when they didn't report to work as usual. the local archdiocese tells nbc news there were signs of a break-in. they were stabbed and their car is missing. it's not clear if their religious work has anything to do with the killing. >> we make a difference in people's lives, and we never know what that difference is. >> reporter: a priest who knew them saying these were the two sweetest sisters you could imagine. it's so senseless. tonight a community is on edge and asking for prayers as police search for a killer or killers. gabe gutierrez, nbc news. drastic measures are being taken in montana tonight to stop a deadly invader that's killing thousands of fish. officials have shut down nearly 200 miles of the popular

yellowstone river. as our joe fryer explains, that's a big deal for a state where recreation is a $6 billion a year industry. >> reporter: it may look tranquil, this quiet ribbon of the yellowstone river winding through montana, but not to locals. >> it's really unnerving, actually. you would think there would be some peace to it, but there's not. >> reporter: this, after all, is typically a fly fishing destination. but these days the only activity comes from scientists combing a river that's littered with dying whitefish. the culprit, a parasite that causes a fatal kidney disease in fish. >> i saw that nothing looked as it should, and i knew right away it was a significant infection. >> reporter: state wildlife officials have now closed down a stretch of the river that's 180 miles long. no boating, no fishing, no rafting. the parasite won't hurt humans, but they want to make sure it doesn't spread to other streams or move south to yellowstone national park. >> the research that's been done appears that fish can survive the

initial onset of this disease. they'll develop resistance through time. >> reporter: but the timing is horrible. for fishing guides and people in the rafting business and people who make 100% of their living off the river, it's traumatic. >> reporter: just visit the dan bailey fly fishing shop in livingston. >> we should have so much noise in here. it's so quiet, it's scary. >> reporter: you can hear the buzz of a fluorescent light in a store that's nearly as empty as the river. >> i mean, last friday was the day of the shutdown, the next day our business was cut in half. >> reporter: now business is a fraction of that and it's unclear how long the closure will last. a lonely river beneath a big sky. joe fryer, nbc news, livingston, montana. still ahead here tonight, bathing suit backlash. the growing outrage over a ban on so-called burkinis for muslim women. one beach goer forced to publicly strip. as police officers looked on. also, has the secret to the colonel's finger-licking good

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we're back now with a controversy exploding around the world over so-called burkinis, the specially designed bathing suits worn by some muslim women at beaches and pools have been banned by several towns in france. now that country's supreme court is about to weigh in on whether those laws are legal. nbc's kelly cobiella takes us inside the uproar. >> reporter: french beaches are famous for

sun and a lot of skin, but this week a woman in nice was forced to strip. four armed officers standing over her. then fined. she's muslim, accused of violating a new law against so-called burkinis. a bikini that is more like a burqa. covering almost everything. and designed to give muslim women more freedom. >> it was part of integration. it was part of combining the cultures. >> reporter: after the attacks in nice, mayors of at least 15 towns banned the burkinis, linking them to islamic extremism. a symbol of enslavement, the french prime minister says. the ban has sparked protests. online this tweet. you should be weeping, france. and this, a picture of jacques cousteau fully covered. in this secular country where it's illegal to wear crosses in pools and veils over faces, most support the burkini ban. "you come to france, you have to live like

the french," this man says. still for some, it's political. "there are more important things like education and women's rights," the mayor of paris said. by the weekend, covered skin could be back in. france's highest court will rule in the next 48 hours whether to let women wear what they want. kelly cobiella, nbc news, london. we're back in a moment with more hot water for olympic swimmer ryan lochte. for olymp swimmer ryan lochte.

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an update on the racist hack attack we told you about last night against snl star leslie jones. the department of homeland security tells nbc news it is investigating the hack which included racist memes, exposed personal photos as well as her driver's license and passport photos. tonight officials in rio say olympic swimmer ryan lochte will be summoned to appear before a brazilian judge in response to the bathroom vandalism

case in which lochte is accused of making a false statement to police claiming he and three fellow swimmers were held up in an armed robbery. lochte has apologized telling nbc news he overexaggerated the story. as one of the world's most closely kept culinary secrets been exposed? kfc has famously kept colonel sanders' chicken recipe close to the vest, but as a "chicago tribune" reporter found out, he says the colonel's nephew may have cracked the code revealing ten handwritten recipes while combing through the family's cook democrat book which has a list of 11 herbs rand spices. the main secret ingredient, white pepper. but after realizing he may have blown the lid off the secret, the colonel's nephew says the recipe could be legit but he can't say for sure. when we come back, it's the little things in life. a visit to a very small town hoping for big things in the future. visit to a very visit to a very small town hoping for big thw bikes aren't selling g. small town hoping for what are we gonna do? how about we pump more into promotions?

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i hear you. to everyone with this pain that makes ordinary tasks extraordinarily painful, i hear you. make sure your doctor hears you too! i hear you because i was there when my dad suffered with diabetic nerve pain. if you have diabetes and burning, shooting pain in your feet or hands, don't suffer in silence! step on up and ask your doctor about diabetic nerve pain. tell 'em cedric sent you. edition of nbc bay area news: ===peggy/take vo=== a bay area father accused of beating his six-week old daughter. the baby's fight for her life. ===raj/vo=== plus...a bob cat spotted in a bay area neighborhood. why help may not be on the way. ===raj/4:30 close=== next at 4:30. finally tonight, they say everything is bigger in texas, but this town is the exception. for decades, jobs have left spur, texas, along with many residents. now the town's in danger of going under, but our harry smith explains the city's banking on a big

comeback by thinking smaller. >> reporter: out on the high plains of west texas, the town of spur looks like it lost its giddyup a long time ago. but lately a number of newcomers, pioneers, if you will, have started rolling in. >> how exciting! >> reporter: reva parker came from south carolina. >> so i googled where can i live legally in a tiny house. spur, texas, popped up. >> reporter: spur has declared itself the tiny house capital of america. vacant lots, 500 bucks. >> bought it sight unseen. at 500, who could say no? >> reporter: in case you didn't know, the tiny house movement is a thing. the belief, getting small means you can live large. >> this is liberating. you have everything you need and nothing more. >> reporter: this is gorgeous. >> thank you. >> reporter: but most towns want nothing to do with tiny houses. pantry's on this side. there's eight to nine inches to spare on either side. and folks in spur

weren't so sure about it either. >> what kind of people? what are we talking about here? you know? nudists, anarchists? what? >> reporter: welcoming tiny houses to spur was the idea of david alwaysbury. >> what's our offer? you know, peace and quiet. safety, low cost of living. reinvent yourself. >> reporter: tiny houses go for about 30 grand and up. five are complete now. and they think there could be 20 done by the end of the year. you're the zoning guy. >> yes, sir. >> reporter: have you ever been this busy? >> no, sir. >> reporter: reva, a college professor, plans to teach online from her tiny house. she has no regrets about leaving her big house and old life behind. you have a tiny house, you have a tiny dog. you have a tiny car. >> so what does that say? i want to live small. so might as well do it all the way around, right? >> reporter: indeed. in her little house on the prairie. harry smith, nbc news, spur, texas. that's going to do it for us on a thursday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for

watching, and good night. c news, thank you for watching, and good night. caught on camera. a bobcat roaming through a south bay neighborhood. right now at 4:30. caught on camera. a bobcat roaming through a south bay neighborhood. why animal control experts can't do much about it. plus -- >> it was literally so high that it was coming over the fence. >> thousands of gallons of water overflowing. ska causing damage to more than a dozen homes near san francisco. a father accused of putting his six-week old daughter in the hospital. it's not his first brush with the law. this special edition of nbc bay area news starts now. thank you for joining us. i'm peggy bunker. >> i'm raj mathai.

we're on early tonight because of thursday night football. it kicks off at 5:00 p.m. our headlines at this hour, disturbing accusations in the south bay. a six-week old girl is clinging to life. severely beaten by her own father. it happened outside of san jose's rose garden neighborhood. damian trujillo is there. what do we know about this father? >> reporter: he has a history. we're in the burbank district. a lot of disbelief and concern on boston avenue in san jose. the six-week old was severely beaten. >> investigators say this man, 32-year-old matthew zavala violently beat his daughter. >> there was over 14 different fractures throughout her body, including her skull. >> the little girl remains in critical condition at valley medical center. family members brought her in sunday after the baby suffered cardiac arrest. after interviewing the family,